


Snapshots of Puyo Puyo

by kibasniper



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Arguing, Banter, Best Friends, Bittersweet Ending, Cake, Canon Compliant, Celebrations, Character Study, Day At The Beach, Enemies to Friends, F/F, Fights, Fluff, Forests, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Hope, Humor, Introspection, Light Angst, Minor Injuries, Old Friends, Pining, Post-Canon, Puyo Week 2019, Rare Pairings, Research, Secret Crush, Separation Anxiety, Sleep, Studying, confusion vs raw strength who will win (it's raffina)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-24 23:39:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19733992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibasniper/pseuds/kibasniper
Summary: Ficlets for Puyo Week 2019!Day 1: Favorite friendship - Finding a cake in the middle of the physics club room is certainly odd, and Maguro and Risukuma challenge Ringo to figure out the meaning behind it.Day 2: Favorite ship - Seriri ponders the many ways she loves Arle and wishes to have a moment alone with her.Day 3: Favorite character(s) - Ecolo and Doppelganger Arle relax on Pwurp Island and enjoy apple banana smoothies, the crisp ocean breeze, and a friendly Puyo battle.Day 4: Favorite scene from any game - Despite all of her planning and suffering in that morbid void, Doppelganger Arle loses the battle. All Arle can do is stare as she proclaims her truth.Day 5: Crossover - Raffina is teleported to a psychic summer camp after a Puyo battle. She comes across a girl who sounds remarkably like her. However, they don't see eye to eye.Day 6: Character Swap AU - Amitie's red claw is bothering her, leading her to seek some answers at the library. Noticing Sig worrying about his Puyo hat, she comes up with an idea to help each other.Day 7: Free Day - Ecolo muses the meaning of a painful word, one they had been avoiding for centuries until they met her.





	1. Our First Victory of Many Magical Adventures

**Author's Note:**

> These ficlets are for Puyo Week 2019! (https://puyoweek2019.tumblr.com/) Thanks to the mods for organizing this event.

Ringo Andou was perplexed.

This emotion should have brought her joy. Solving problems and delving into curiosities lifted her spirits. She was more than delighted when presented with conundrums and dedicated her time to finding the correct solution. Even with sudden distractions or additional complexities, she pursued the logical reasoning and true answer behind any question, equation, or task.

However, this situation was beyond her understanding. Before her was an entirely nonsensical situation, one she should have become accustomed to with what had just happened to her. Considering her experience with magic and inhuman entities, nothing should have fazed her, but here she was gobsmacked as soon as she entered the physics club room.

“What's-what's going on here?” she asked, her words drawling out and matching her tip-toeing steps.

“Hey, hey! The big guest has finally arrived!⭐” Maguro shouted, sitting on the counter and throwing his hands out like a ringleader welcoming the start of a show. Next to him, Risukuma blew as hard as he could on a party horn, breaking Ringo out of her flabbergasted stupor.

In the center of a laminated table was a small red velvet cake. Decorated with glittery buttercream frosting in the shade of Ringo's hair, she marveled over the bright green apple slices adorning the top of the cake. Its' sweet fragrance drifting around her was a stark contrast to the strangely scented chemicals bubbling in a variety of vials and beakers on the counters.

“You guys made me a cake!” she blurted, skipping towards them, stars in her eyes only to straighten, stricken with the peculiarities of the treat. “But why? Seems kinda random.”

“Why, she asks?” Risukuma chuckled. “Well, I'm sure you know why.”

Wrapping his arms behind his head, Maguro added, “Orrr...maybe she wants to solve why.⭐”

She perked up, her curled pigtails bouncing against her shoulders. She could already feel her little gray cells tingling at his challenge, and she propped her hand to her chin. Assuming the look of a sleuth, she grinned at her friends, finding their expressions more than amused. 

Certainly, they were doing this for a particular reason, one she couldn't exactly place, but it was filled with mirth and consideration. She crossed over to the cake and gripped the edges of the table. Upon closer inspection, she noticed yellow lightning bolts drawn into the sides, each of them filled with a math equation. She found the Pythagorean theorem, the quadratic formula, slope, distance, and more intricately written within the bolts.

“Hm, equations, lightning strikes, could this be referencing my magic?” she wondered, lifting her gaze to them, her head inclined towards the cake.

“Right on the money,⭐” Maguro said, and Risukuma turned the platter around, showing Ringo a lightning bolt with trigonometric terms.

“A-ha! My battle proclamations! This constitutes my magic, of course,” she said, tapping her fist into her open palm only to tilt her head. “And yet, why is that? Why is my magic referenced in this cake?”

“Well, if you'd like a hint...” Risukuma tapped the party horn on Ringo's bright green Puyo barrette. “...how's this for one? What do you suppose Puyo has to do with this cake?”

She touched her pin, the cool metal pressing against her fingers. Tracing the Puyo's eyes, she furrowed her brows and pondered. She had just come off a grand adventure. Traveling across the globe, battling Puyo masters at the Seven Wonders of the World, rescuing a new friend from being possessed, and beating a space-time voyager determined to bury her world in Puyos, it had been so much in so little time. It was a heart-pounding, exhilarating journey, in which she learned magic through popping colorful blobs, a prospect she deemed perfect for a puzzle game Maguro would become obsessed over.

She had done it with the help of her friends, and she had boldly stood up to Ecolo. Instead of cowering, she persevered and fought against strange, powerful opponents. Learning spells, feeling the magic electrifying her entire body, the rush of victory which would flow through her as she, Arle, and Amitie finally struck down Ecolo, it all happened because she learned how to play Puyo Puyo.

Her eyes widened.

“Solved it!” She snatched an apple from her pocket and flipped it in the air. “This cake is in celebration of my efforts in learning Puyo and using my newly discovered magical techniques to save the world with everyone!”

“Ding ding ding! We got a winner!⭐” Maguro clapped, his thunderous applause echoing in the physics room, which mingled with Risukuma blowing even harder on his party horn.

“Aw, guys! You shouldn't have, but I'm glad you did!” she cried, stars twinkling once again in her eyes. She spun in place, expertly catching her apple with each quick toss. “A ca~key, a ca~key, sooo fresh and swe~et! A tru~ly, tru~ly applicious tre~at!”

“'Applicious?'” Risukuma deadpanned, lowering the party horn, and Ringo stuck out her tongue.

“Well, words are fake, right? Anything can be a word. I can say 'zingabang,' and it might be a victory cheer on some other world,⭐” Maguro said, shrugging and slipping off the counter. Taking a plastic knife out of his pocket he cut the cake into the three even pieces and set them on the paper plates Risukuma brought out from a cabinet. “Anyway, let's dig in!⭐”

Ringo clasped her hands together and squeezed, her heart pounding just a little faster. Her smile pressed into her cheeks and pushed them upwards, forcing her eyes to crinkle. She really did have the best friends a girl could ask for, especially with the sudden zaniness of their now magical lives. She anticipated more adventures with their new friends, but with Maguro and Risukuma by her sides, as she chomped down on her delectably sweet cake, she knew she could handle anything.


	2. Adoration for the Brave and the Bold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: Favorite ship - Seriri ponders the many ways she loves Arle and wishes to have a moment alone with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually debated on which pairing to use for this prompt. some other ships i thought about using were satan/schezo, satan/ex, arle/draco, or maguro/tee, but i remembered tumblr user fudgernutter's great arle/seriri drawings, and i immediately had to write this fic because a. i love lesbian arle, b. seriri is also lesbian, and c. they're good together.

Much to her own chagrin, Seriri was a coward. As bluntly as she put herself down, she knew it was true. Her fears overpowered her rationality. Every time she tried making a friend, the creeping wonder if they would eat her contaminated her thoughts. She would shout at them, demanding to know if what she thought was true until they scurried away, their expression writhing in either contempt or confusion.

It happened more times than she could count. Always fearing, always mulling over her own inadequacies, Seriri ruined her own attempts at friendship. Certainly, there was Suketoudara who always seemed to want to be in her company, but she found him pleasant only if was at least an arms length away. With his constant flirtations and dance moves, she could be around him for a couple minutes before diving back into the water, her fins slapping a decently sized wave at his face.

Draco sneered at her to have more confidence or she’d eat her. Witch promised to make her a potion which would enhance her courage at a substantial price. Harpy tried giving her singing lessons, which only caused her to drive away any potential friends.

Nothing worked. She was left quivering in front of her peers. They scoffed at her mild and timid accusations. Their chastisement was more hurtful with every round as if they had taken turns pinching her bare arms, their words more harmful than bruises.

Though, there was one girl who never seemed to give up on her.

Seriri couldn’t count the times she asked if Arle had come to eat her. Their first meeting mimicked the majority of their next encounters. She would politely greet her, and after a brief chat, her paranoia returned, Arle’s kindness too much for her anxiety-riddled brain. She’d cry out to know if she wanted to eat her, and Arle would either play along, console her, or play Puyo with her, but in the end, Arle continued to be her friend even when the others snickered at her.

Arle never held it against her. It was as if she understood Seriri’s fear even when her own thoughts cruelly denied her rationality. She seemed to understand it far better than Seriri could, and when they were together, just the two of them if Carbuncle decided to run off for the day, they journeyed across the sea as Arle pursued more spells to learn.

She knew Arle was a heroine She was the protector of their world even when she didn’t want that mantle. With power beyond her own comprehension, Arle battled swordsmen, monsters, and even the prince of the underworld. Her wit, magic, and brevity blew away her competition, and the world loved her.

It really wasn’t surprising to Seriri when she realized how far she had fallen in love with Arle.

In a way, Arle was untouchable. No one could compare to her confidence and power. She wasn’t the most graceful girl, but Seriri loved her rambunctious, adventurous personality. She was always getting into some form of chaos, whether it being by her own will not really mattering, considering she always found adequate solutions to everyone’s problems.

Though, it was the tender moments she showed Seriri which truly touched her heart. How her eyes sparkled when learning new magic, how the corners of her lips dimpled when she was truly elated, how she nuzzled with Carbuncle by the shore as they relaxed, dipping their feet into her crystal clear waters, they were moments in time Seriri wished she could capture forever.

She considered herself blessed. It was as if the Goddess of Space-Time froze the world around them when Arle decided to rest on her lap.

She knew she needed to stay as still as possible. Disturbing her beloved was entirely unacceptable, and she willed her body to remain like a statue. Gazing down, she gently stroked through Arle’s cropped auburn locks, her scales glimmering under the golden sunlight, which then showed the many reflections of Arle’s smiling face, a sight which made her heart leap for joy.

“You know,” Arle began, a yawn escaping her before she could continue, “you’re really soft, Seriri.”

“R-really? Thank you so much!” she blurted, clasping her hands together, her ears wiggling.

Chuckling, she rolled onto her back and splayed her arms out, her fingers meshing through the sand. “Aw, don’t thank me. You’re the one giving me the best sleeping place around. It’s almost as comfy as my bed.”

Giggling, she brought her knuckles to her chin and said, “I-if you want, you can rest for as long as you need. I don’t mind at all.”

She pumped her fists out. “Great! Because I plan on getting at least an hour nap in!” Gasping, she quickly laced her fingers together and placed them on her stomach. “But only if you’re okay with that. I mean, you’d be sitting here for a long time. I don’t wanna pressure you.”

“W-well, um, you can consider it a favor. It’s something I want to do for my lo-for my dear friend!” She clapped her hand over her mouth, suppressing a scream. Hot pink burned her cheeks, her webbed ears flapping up in down as embarrassment boiled in her belly. Not even the sun’s burning rays could scorch her skin an even darker red compared to how swiftly her entire body charred to a deep shade of crimson.

Arle hummed, a blank look crossing her features. As Seriri held her breath, she broke into a grin and stretched, a satisfied groan pressing against her closed lips. Nestling on to her side, she cupped her hands underneath her chin and nodded off.

Sighing, she dropped her head. She was thankful Arle was a little dense, but it only heightened her charm. Peering up at the setting sun with the sky’s deepening orange hues, she thanked the goddess for giving them such a tender moment to enjoy.


	3. Two Omnipotent Beings Relax by the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Favorite character(s) - Ecolo and Doppelganger Arle relax on Pwurp Island and enjoy apple banana smoothies, the crisp ocean breeze, and a friendly Puyo battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *ecolo voice* hey arle why are you pink when you're supposed to be an exact copy of the other arle?  
> *doppelganger arle voice* all my friends died in the war.  
> *ecolo voice* that doesn't answer my question but okay.

Contrasting with the waves as they crested against the shore was the sound of Ecolo slurping a smoothie. They dipped their head back, guzzling the rest of their banana apple drink. Sighing, they stretched their hand high above their head and waved it, summoning an interdimensional portal. Tossing their glass into it they snapped their fingers, swiftly closing the portal before reclining back in their lounge chair.

“Ah, this is the life, huh?” Ecolo remarked, crossing their legs and wrapping their arms behind their head.

The doppelganger hummed, her eyes closed. She immersed herself in the beach’s vibe, listening carefully to the song whispered in the wind. She let her leg slide off the chair and sunk her toes deep into the sand, the sensation of being on land which wasn’t entirely solid or missing more pleasurably than she could have ever imagined.

“I can’t recall the last time I was on a beach. I think I went with Rulue before our final exam,” she said, taking off her sunglasses.

Ecolo glanced over at her. “Oh, really? What’d you two do?”

“The usual things. Making sandcastles, swimming, collecting seashells.” She chuckled, her lower tone carrying an ominous note. “If I’m remembering right, I think she begged me to know if I was really in love in Satan, not that I was ever interested in him.”

“Hehe! First love, never dies out so easily, hmmm?” Ecolo clapped their hands, summoning a dark blue apple out of thin air. Opening their mouth wide, they devoured it whole much to Arle’s bewilderment.

“How do you function?” she mumbled, and Ecolo merely winked. 

Sighing, she returned her gaze to their surroundings. This world truly was unique compared to her old one. With a deep violet sky painting the midsummer afternoon and a mix of redwoods and palm trees all colored in shades of pink, she felt this section of Pwurp Island was the equivalent to paradise. The smell of pine mingling with sea salt, fish leaping out of the water, and with two perfectly placed lounge chairs, it was as scenic as it was relaxing, granting her and her space-time traveling companion a moment of peace.

While she would have preferred lounging on any of the beaches and islands back home, she knew that wasn’t an option due to her...current situation. In layman’s terms, she was banned from her world. If she spoke to one of her old friends, it would have taken the entire day to explain her circumstances before being chased out by the heroine or Satan, so she took comfort in this neutral island, a place with a plethora of equally wild residents, reminding her of the world she once loved.

“Another smoothie?” Ecolo offered, summoning another with a clap of their hands. “Ringie told me these are the best kind.”

“I’d love one. Thanks.” She sat up and faced them, holding out her hand only for Ecolo to yank the smoothie away, causing it to spill down the rounded rim. Her frown creased, but catching their mischievous leer, she leaned back, a smirk sliding into her cheeks. “Is that how you want to play, little blob?”

“Hey, hey, you’re barely pushing over five feet! Even Ringie is taller than you.” Floating above her as a vein popped in her brow, Ecolo levitated the smoothie on top of a wispy, smoky cloud. “So, you want it? You know what’s gonna happen right? It’s how we always settle things.”

“Playing Puyo for a smoothie.” She shrugged and leapt to her feet. “Well, I’ve played for much more malignant reasons, so let’s?”

“Puyo battle!” Ecolo cried with a laugh, and at once, many colorful Puyos dropped from the heavens.

Arle giggled, her ire erasing the second she connected her first Puyos. Her wrist cracked as she hurriedly stacked them, raising them higher and higher to the top of her board. Considering her years of experience, she knew she could easily best Ecolo, but glancing over at their board, she found them idling, observing her instead of maintaining a steady pattern. They even allowed Nuisance Puyos to come crashing down on their head and block any potential chains, but it amused her knowing victory would come so easily from their indolence.

“Ragnarok!” she roared, jumping into the air, her deep violent magic circle bursting in front of her as mighty smoky blasts.

“Wahahaha! Nice, nice! An eleven chain! What a cool party trick!” Ecolo exclaimed, crouching and crossing their arms above their head. “Ready, steady, go! Falsify!”

Arle gawked, their electrifying spell shooting towards the top of their board. The Nuisance Puyos were quickly gathered and transferred over to her side, cutting the amount in half and dropping the rest of them as blue and purple Puyos on Ecolo’s board. She had no other choice but to watch as the Garbage Puyos came crashing down on her as Ecolo cast another quick spell, their pose reminiscent of Ringo’s.

“Woohoo! That was fun!” they cried, and they guzzled down the smoothie, smacking their lips together as they finished.

Brushing the nuisance away, she huffed and gripped her knees, her hair frazzled from the assault. She hunched forward, observing Ecolo summon another smoothie and offer it to her. Accepting it, she sat and greedily gulped it down, the creamy drink a delight to her taste buds.

Setting the glass next to her, she smoothed her hair back. “A super move, huh? I didn’t know you learned any of those spells.”

“Yep, yep! They’re lots of fun!” They winked. “It really creates a whole new ball game when you get those involved, huh?”

Chuckling, she nodded. “Indeed, indeed. I spammed them so much when I fought my double.”

“Oh, I remember that part! She was all like ‘heeey, stop thaaat and fiiiight faaair!’” Ecolo jeered in a poor imitation of the heroine’s voice, earning a rather robust cackle from Arle.

“That’s exactly how she was!” She clapped, and they gave a flourished bow. “Ah, you’re perfect company, you devious gremlin.”

“Right back at ya, Arly! Just two super duper mystical beings chillin’ by the beach, one foot apart ‘cause we’re best friends!” They flipped onto their side, and as the two of them soaked up the sun rays and listened to the seagulls crying over head, they couldn’t stop smiling.


	4. Dreams of an Absolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Favorite scene from any game - Despite all of her planning and suffering in that morbid void, Doppelganger Arle loses the battle. All Arle can do is stare as she proclaims her truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my favorite game in puyo is puyo puyo~n. compared to the other games, the ending is actually very sad. it isn't a perfect happy ending. with the background lore, doppel's ending is heartbreaking. she can't be considered the real arle despite everything she endured during the madou days. arle, on the other hand, doesn't know why doppel detests her with all her being, her own mind rattled with the revelation of this second arle. it's bittersweet, a gray ending in which no one fully wins. i'm sure sega would never finish this arc, but that's what fan interpretations are all about!
> 
> this fic also uses dialogue from precise museum's translation of puyo puyo~n.
> 
> and yes the title is from sonic 06.

As simple as that, the battle was over. The tricks she played, the war she waged, it finished with a simple Puyo battle. As the garbage smashed down onto her, the doppelganger had no choice but to accept this world’s reality.

Deep purple welts coated her forearms. She clutched her arm, her posture crooked as she dragged herself back to her feet. The flickering violet lights blinded her, forcing her attention back to the ground. Her entire body shivered as she took in the disjointed magic circle glowing under her boots, its vibrant color burning her retinas and forcing her to glare at the stupefied girl before her.

Arle leaned forward, her mouth opened wide in shock. She still couldn’t comprehend what had happened during her chaotic day. She had searched high and low for Carbuncle, gathering friends along the way only to come face-to-face with a woman who looked exactly like her. Her pale scarlet armor and ripped cape, the harshness to her features, even the frayed hairs jutting out, Arle felt she was looking in a cracked mirror.

“Ngh! How could...I lose…” The doppelganger huffed out a whimper, closing one eye, which Arle noticed began to swell.

“Y-you…” She stepped forward, her arms stiffer than stones, refusing to reach out to the doppelganger. “Just who are you?”

She puffed out a chuckle, the corners of lips creasing into a frown. “Hah...what a pointless question.”

Truly, truly a foolish question, one that roared in her ears louder than the wails of the gods she killed hundreds of years ago. The doppelganger tried to smirk, but she couldn’t bring herself to even scoff. She gasped and panted, feeling as if she would collapse from the pain of their battle, but she knew it wasn’t that at all.

The world was denying her existence. Soon, she would return to that endless, vacant void. It was the space where the old world once boldly stood against the Creator, defying Him with its simple existence and the lives of all who lived there. Now, it was erased from the timeline that demon defiled, and she was destined to be twisted and churned, her body ripped apart by the universe again and again.

Regardless, she knew her truth. It boiled inside of her guts and fueled her rage for over five hundred years. Contaminated with that truth, she tightened her grip on her arm, digging her fingernails through her skin.

“I’m Arle! I’m not anything besides that!”

In the silent room, her words echoed. They bounced off the walls and slammed into Arle. Her knees buckled under the weight of the doppelganger’s proclamation, but she stood, a quiet, breathy gasp escaping past her lips. Even in shock, she assumed her role well and continued gawking at her, her eyes wide to new possibilities and mysteries hidden in her world.

The doppelganger softened. The other’s stance was much like her own. At least that much hadn’t changed. She supposed it was understandable, however, considering the life they once shared.

“Yet...I lost…”

In a voice sounding like Arle’s, in a tone she hadn’t used in five hundred years, she spoke the truth. She lost. Despite her efforts, despite her grandest scheme, despite punishing the one who trapped her, she failed.

As the last syllable left her, she vanished. Like a swift thunderclap striking the earth, she was gone, her body fading away. Arle reached for her, but she had already blocked out the world. Gone, gone, gone, she was, her only chance to be reunited with her friends having slipped from her fingers.

Arle uttered a low cry. She gazed at the spot where the doppelganger once stood. She could see still her once proud form now crumpled, defeated. Left alone in that icy cold room, Arle felt her eyes well with tears although she couldn’t fathom why.

Elsewhere, the doppelganger opened her eyes. She sat in the tallest branch of an oak tree. The carnival was in the distance, the big top’s red and white tent visible in the meadow. Puffy violet clouds streaked across the sky, the sun’s orange rays peeking through, coloring a few of them a deep pink. She held her Pierrot mask and stared through it, her free hand reaching back to stroke Carbuncle’s ears.

“Carby,” she mused, “shouldn’t you be with her?”

“Gu, gu,” he crooned, nestling into her side.

She gnawed on her lower lip. “You know we can’t do this, not while the world is like this.”

“Guu gu gu!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I put you through hell.” She scooped him up and set him on her lap. Smiling, she hugged him as tightly as she could, almost fearing her chest plate was digging into his round body. “Go protect her, Carby, from the evils of this world.”

With that, she snapped her fingers and in the blink of an eye, he returned to Arle’s side. She traced the space where he once sat, lukewarm tears rolling down her scarred cheeks.

She chuckled under her breath. This new truth scorched her just as horribly as the one locked in her heart.

“I guess...being a doppelganger has its perks. If I stay as one, then I can remain here with all of them.” She dropped her head and clutched the mask to her chest, the distant laughter of children playing in her circus reminding her of the friends she once made in kindergarten.


	5. These Aren't the Woods I Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Crossover - Raffina is teleported to a psychic summer camp after a Puyo battle. She comes across a girl who dresses unfashionably and sounds remarkably like her. However, they don't see eye to eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> raffina and kitty (along with chloe barge and maloof canola) share the same voice actress: brett walter! raffina sounds like a slightly older kitty imo. i was initially going to include chloe and maloof, but kitty and raffina share a lot of similarities. they're both rich girls, and they're both pretty snooty, but i like raffina a lot better. she's a lot more complex than kitty, having doubts about her own magical power while at the same time doing a lot of training and studying to maintain appearances. she even encourages others to keep practicing their puyo skills like lidelle and amitie, and while she might have a bit of a mean streak, raffina is definitely my favorite out of the ars fever trio. kitty doesn't really do anything except bully kids and kiss her gf, and while she does get extra info about herself on campster like her dad being in the navy and making her move a lot until he got kicked out, raffina is just more compelling all around.
> 
> anyway please play psychonauts it's really good!

Well, this was entirely unexpected.

Raffina rubbed her head, her eyes crossing as she tried soothing her dizziness. She hadn’t realized how powerful Klug’s magic had become during their Puyo battle. His final spell teleported her away before the Nuisance Puyos could crush her. She remembered his smirking face swapping for horror as she vanished, her body warping through space-time, her own screams silenced in the starry void until it spat her out face-first into a patch of grass.

Groaning, she dragged herself to her knees. She made out swathes of trees, but they were nothing like the lush Woods of Nahe. These trees were much thinner with uneven spaces between them. Unlike the close redwoods she knew, these appeared to be pine. Rubbing her knees, Raffina drew herself to her feet, noticing a few orange fireflies fluttering around her.

“Well, I certainly am not in Primp,” she mumbled, gnawing on her lower lip, missing the sound of hinges creaking up ahead. “Stupid Klug and his stupid demon tome sending me all the way out to the boonies.”

She breathed in the heavy pine scent and wrinkled her nose. It certainly wasn’t the fresh, floral scent of the woods she and her friends explored. There was an odd musk in the wind reminding her of a skunk’s stench. It made her chest constrict as she marched on an unmarked dirt path, coming across a few large, round...homes behind a fence?

She tilted her head. If those were the homes the inhabitants of this world lived in, then she wanted to warp to Primp right away. They had odd spikes protruding from their rusted, metal exteriors. Surveying the fence, she found a plethora of German signs, each of them ordering trespassers to leave, and feeling she wasn’t wanted, Raffina rolled her eyes, deciding to Puyo pop her way back home.

“Now, even though there is no one around, I should be able to do this,” she said, fiddling with her pouch. She tossed her hand to the sky and shouted, “Let’s-!”

“And just who might you be?”

Raffina jerked her hand back to her chest. She whirled around on her heels, surveying the domes only to lock eyes with a shorter girl who wore a remarkably similar outfit emerging from the center dome. Her outfit was a mismatch of colors. An orange shirt and light purple shorts, knee length vermillion socks and turquoise and red striped stockings, a pale blue and deep pink scarf, the girl’s color combinations blinded Raffina, and she had to avoid looking directly at her.

The girl’s smile was painfully sweet. Raffina knew that kind of grin too well. It was the same one she quickly donned when she needed a favor from Ms. Accord. Although her teacher was well aware of her tricks, she believed her attempts at sincerity were appreciated, but the way this girl smiled unsettled her. Perhaps it was the way the black swirls in her eyes spun that made her raise her fists, but when she did so, the other girl cackled a shrill tune.

“You’re definitely not one of the visiting interns.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Yeah, definitely not. I can sense any psychic power coming from you.”

Raffina bristled, her brows furrowing. “Oh, is that the gimmick of this world? You’re all psychics instead of magic users?”

The other girl paused, her eyes widening and lips pursing. She took in Raffina for a moment, her gaze flicking up and down. She opened her mouth, ready to reply, but a peal of laughter escaped her instead.

Flinching, Raffina smashed her fist into her open palm and barked, “H-hey! It’s not ladylike to suddenly laugh like that! What are you, a lout?”

“Oh, my God, girlfriend! What are you saying? Who even talks like that? I thought I only had to deal with one chick who thinks she’s an alien.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “If Franke were here, we’d have a field day with you!” She huffed out a sigh and dropped her head. “Too bad she stayed home from camp this year. Stupid coach and his stupid brain-stealing scheme scaring her dad into not letting her sign up.”

Scowling, Raffina cocked her hip out and snarled, “Well, if this is the case, then no wonder I can’t feel any magic coming from you.” Her lips curved into a sneer. “Besides, as if a fashion disaster like you has any right to talk. I mean, those strange hair accessories hardly work with your scarf. The colors are all wrong.”

“Oh!” Her shoulders hitched towards her ears, and her smile tightened. “You think you can talk to Kitty Bubai like that? Saying things that make absolutely zero sense and you have the nerve to say my fashion sucks when you look like a walking pumpkin wearing freaky elf shoes? This isn’t a video game, sweetie.”

Smoothing her orange sailor blazer, Raffina chuckled. “Ladies are refined, elegant, and dress for success.” She curled her fingers through her bubblegum locks. “As if a colorblind brat like you would understand the intricacies of magic, fashion, and nobility.”

“I...what?” Kitty rolled her eyes. “God, this is so weird. A girl sneaks out of Nein’s special training and meets a freak in the woods. This is like a bad horror movie.”

“Indeed. I’m in the middle of nowhere with an indiscernible smell still wafting around me, and oh, wait a moment, if you please.” Raffina sniffed the air. She tiptoed closer, ignoring the snarling bear from behind the fence. Taking in a deep breath, she gasped and pinched her nostrils. “That pungency! That stench! It’s coming from you!”

“Wh-what?” Kitty shrieked, gripping her shirt. She almost smelled it but hesitated, narrowing her glare onto Raffina. “What do you mean I smell? I’m wearing Chanel’s latest perfume!”

“It’s atrocious! Where’s the elegance to it? Did you dump the entire bottle on yourself?” Raffina recoiled and quickly cleared her throat. “If that’s so, I’d suggest you-”

“Listen,” Kitty seethed, her eyes wider than usual, her hand reaching behind her back, “I don’t know who you are or how you got here, but I’m not going to let anyone tell me that I smell right to my face. So…” Winding up like a baseball player, she launched her confusion grenade right at Raffina’s nose. “...here, have a present!”

Hardly deterred, Raffina crouched and pivoted. She leapt into the air, her left leg extending almost in slow motion. Tilting her foot, she launched her leg forward and smashed the confusion grenade right back at Kitty’s face. As it collided with her nose, exploding in a brilliant green mist, Raffina landed and smirked.

“Not worth the trouble,” she said, fixing her ruffled skirt. As Kitty moaned and rocked from side to side, she decided this strange world also wasn’t worth the trouble.

Groaning, the young psychic could only watch in disbelief as the strange woman threw her hand into the air, shouting “Let’s Puyo Puyo” and summoning colorful blobs from the sky. It really felt like something out a puzzle game as she observed this oddball woman neatly place the blobs into chains, shaking her head when she realized they all had eyes.

“Ciel arc!” Raffina kicked a curved line between them, forming a rainbow as her heel smacked into the ground, which became a portal. Smirking, she curtseyed and skipped through, saying, “Challenge me again when you’re a worthy opponent.”

As the portal closed behind her, Kitty gawked. She sat down, slack-jawed over the past few minutes. She couldn’t even call Franke and tell her what she had seen. Rubbing her forehead, she hoped she would never come in contact with any sort of magical girl again and decided dealing with Nein’s special training was better than whatever the hell just happened.


	6. Different Shades of Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: Character Swap AU - Amitie's red claw is bothering her, leading her to seek some answers at the library. Noticing Sig worrying about his Puyo hat, she comes up with an idea to help each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't really have anything interesting to say for this one, but this fic and the pn crossover were the first two ideas i thought of when i heard this event was happening! i just think it'd be interesting to have amitie and sig switch places and face their respective dilemmas.

Her arm had been red for as long as she remembered. Whenever Amitie glanced down at her left hand, its’ bright scarlet color burned her retinas. It was larger than her other hand with sharp fingernails akin to a cat’s claws. She could never bruise there, only wince for a second before the cut fixed itself, vanishing as if the injury never happened.

She had long wondered why her arm was so peculiar. She tried asking Raffina and Lidelle, and they didn’t have the answer. Raffina mentioned something about Akuma perhaps knowing, but when she scurried off to ask him, he brushed her off, telling her that she needed to worry about more important things like protecting Primp from demons. There had been a softness in his tone, however, one she would have otherwise misplaced if she hadn’t caught him leering at her arm. When she tried insisting, he simply left it at that and ambled back to the ruins without another word.

Others left her in the dark as well. Ms. Accord changed the subject whenever she brought it up. Lemres teased her with candy and cryptic clues. Not even her friends from other worlds could provide a satisfying answer. Witch didn’t have any tomes that could help, and Arle had never heard of any monsters with a lone bright red arm. Satan, with his centuries of experience, was left unsure as well, replying with a shrug when she asked him.

It wasn’t just her arm which bothered her. Her mismatched eyes which reflected back her uncertain expression in the mirror left her pondering. A crimson eye and an azure eye, different colors which held their own secrets. She assumed her blue eye was her natural color, and the red one must have been part of the mystery of her appearance.

Only her encounter with Klug at the ruins provided a little clue. When he was possessed by the spirit in his tome, the demon seemed to know her. He acted like they were related of some sort, but she was too focused on rescuing her friend to pay too much attention. Although she had saved him, Klug defensively kept his tome to himself, refusing to part any information to her, but the worry in his eyes told her that he was only trying to protect her from something she couldn’t understand.

Sighing, she smacked her head on the library desk. Several books surrounded her, but not one of them could help her solve the untold secrets. She knew Klug was constantly researching ancient magic, and if he found the tome in the library, then she hoped to follow his lead in case it would solve the case, but alas, after pouring over at least twenty similar kinds of tomes, she didn’t have any results.

“Hey. Still here?”

Lifting her gaze, she broke into a weary smile as Sig hovered over her, his posture slouching to the left. “Hey, Sig. I-” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “-am sleepier than I thought.”

Sig nodded, scratching his hair through his Puyo hat. He surveyed the plethora of books surrounding her. Knowing she wasn’t the studious type, he gestured at the tomes.

“Oh, these?” She chuckled. “I’m still looking for answers about my arm.” A short gasp escaped her, and she clapped her hands to her cheeks. “Hey, do you-?”

“Nope.”

“Aw…” She hung her head. Leaning back in her seat, she plucked one of the books and skimmed through it. “Phooey, Sig, I can’t find any answers about my dumb arm.”

Bristling, he pulled out a chair and sat down. He selected one of the books, a faintly musty odor emitting from it as he flipped open the cover. As Amitie whined, he tugged at his hat and mumbled, “Maybe…”

She perked up, saying, “‘Maybe?’”

Sig pulled at the hem of his Puyo hat, which unlike most hats, refused to budge. “Maybe there’s somethin’ in these books about my hat. Still can’t take it off.”

Amitie hummed, her eyes widening. For as long as she knew Sig, he always wore that Puyo hat. It’s dull red color brought out the bright baby blue of his hair. To her recollection, it used to have feathery wings coming off the sides reminding her of the symbol of the magic school, but in recent months, the hat seemed to have transformed. No longer was it bulbous and round, instead being somewhat deflated like a “beanie” as Ringo would say. Still, as the Puyo hat’s deep purple eyes bore down on her, an idea struck her, bringing the corners of her lips to curl into an even wider grin.

“I got it, Sig!”

“Got what?”

“Maybe we look for clues about each other’s problem…” She stuffed a few books into his open arms. “...we’ll have more luck!”

He glanced at the books. “Ya think so?”

“I know so!” She planted her hands firmly on her hips and curtly nodded. “Yep, yep, that’s what I think is totally gonna work!”

From somewhere in the library, someone shushed them. Yelping, Amitie clapped her claw over her mouth, her cheeks burning red. Shaking her head, she giggled and snatched a tome off the desk. Flipping to a random page, she threw herself into reading, hoping to find anything that could help Sig.

Her kindness really was astounding. Even though she was troubled, Amitie was always ready to help out a friend. Sig leaned back, leering at the pages of the spellbook and imitating Amitie’s posture. He couldn’t help but glance over at her scarlet arm, his worries swapping for intrigue as she itched her cheek with a particularly sharp fingernail.

“Amitie.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

Her smile faded. Sitting upright, she sighed and relaxed her shoulders. “Well, I think I am. I just wanna know why I have this arm.” She waved it, and as an odd, round demonic spirit smiled over her shoulder, she beamed. “But at the same time, I think I’ll be okay! It’s not like it’s hurting me or anything.”

Humming, Sig said, “I’ll find some answers for you.”

“Aw, thanks, Sig!”

Another shush hissed from somewhere in the library, and they buried their noses back into their books. Catching Amitie’s glance, he looked at her mirthful face, smiling when she giggled. Patting her shoulder with his decidedly human hand, Sig hoped to help Amitie as best as he could, knowing she was always putting herself out there for others and return the favor.


	7. Eons Later, I Can Finally Enjoy Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: Free Day - Ecolo muses the meaning of a painful word, one they had been avoiding for centuries until they met her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> free day!! i had a few ideas for this one, but i was really feeling some ecolo and ringo friendship!! thanks to the mods for organizing this amazing week again, and it was really great to see everyone's works!
> 
> some parts of the dialogue are credited to precise museum for their translation on puyo puyo 20th anniversary's final story.

Their existence was an anomaly. Instead of being born or created, Ecolo simply opened their eyes one day in the velvet darkness of space and knew. An unnatural substance such as them, the universe couldn’t process their existence, and so, off they went, adventuring and exploring, flitting through black holes and stirring up chaos.

It was a fine life for a while. Meeting new people, being present during the darkest moments of human history, it was all a game. Observing their struggle from a high place, they felt like a game master letting their pieces run wild. They wondered if they could even reach the world of the creators if they continued down such a volatile path, but no, even they were not that arrogant to test the deities.

Though, as the centuries passed, they found themself afflicted with an incurable disease. Boredom gnawed in the pit of their belly. Despite their immense power, they were quickly forgotten. Normal people were not meant to remember Ecolo. If they tried playing with them again, they would be treated as a stranger. Squinted eyes, furrowed brows, creased frowns, all such ugly expressions, which Ecolo endured again and again until they reached a fitting solution.

If no one remembered, then what was the point of charity?

They could do anything they wanted without any retribution. Drowning planets in Puyos, pitting people against each other possessing anyone with a malleable mind, they acted on their whims. Their manner of play caused the destruction of many worlds, but as long as people treated them as their enemy, then they’d continue their reign of chaos.

That is, until they met her. Ringo Andou, such a young intellectual. She could counter the best of them. Mathematics were her bread and butter, or in case, her apples. Her lightning bolts still coursed through them as the Puyos smashed down on their head, forcing them to recoil into their electromagnetic shell during their first battle.

She had been the only person to remember them even when they forgot themself. With a simple glance, recognition burned in her eyes. Although aggravation scorched her gaze as well, they knew she remembered, and it filled them with an emotion they thought simply impossible for them to ever experience.

Hope.

In the past, that word agonized them. A sliver of hope could kill anyone, and they knew it all too well. How many times had they been denied? It was a number beyond any normal human comprehension and led to the destruction of several worlds (though now, they realized how selfish and childish their actions had been).

So, as their battle alongside Satan ended and the explosion helped everyone cross through space-time back to their worlds, they grasped a tiny string. It was like a spiderweb, clinging to their hand but so thin and brittle. It could have snapped at any second as they spoke while Ringo was sent back to her world.

“I’m a space-time traveler, and an existence that isn’t present in any place or at any time.”

“So, I’m gonna go on an adventure! See ya! It was pretty fun!”

“Though...when you wake up, everyone will have forgotten me…”

It was better, they supposed, to sever that hope themself. What good was it to keep their spirits up when the same conclusion was inevitable? Miracles weren’t miracles anymore if they happened twice. Ringo remembering them was slimmer than the tiniest aton. They retreated back to another corner of the universe, immersing themself in nothingness, their grand adventure a time for them to wallow in self-pity.

“Oh! Ecolo! It’s been a while.”

They pretended not to know why they came back so soon.

“Hey, come over here. I can barely see you.”

They were lonely, of course they were lonely.

“Didn’t you hear me? Ecolo, I’m talking to you.”

They didn’t want to be alone anymore and had rushed back to the only place where they would be accepted without a second thought.

Ringo sighed as she stood up from the stool. Taking off her goggles, she set them next to the bubbling vial that Risukuma held steadily, a notebook tucked under his arm. As Maguro played with his kendama, she offered her hand.

“We’re working on an experiment to enhance an apple’s crispness, and we could use a taste tester. Wanna help?”

Their smile stretched into their cheeks as they emerged from the darkness. Clapping their hand into Ringo’s, they spun her around, laughing and exclaiming, “Aw, Ringie, ‘course I would! I’m the best apple taster in the multiverse!”

Surrounded by people who cared, such a feeling blessed them after centuries of loneliness. As they joined them, Ecolo shoved away their anxieties, allowing them to become specks of dust blown away by the cool breeze coming from the club room window.


End file.
